The Chicago Bears suffered a heartbreaking 31-28 defeat to the Denver Broncos, which dropped them to 0-4 and they’ve now lost 14 consecutive games dating back to 2022.
The Bears continue to remind us that things can always get worse. Chicago had a 28-7 lead in the third quarter — and they still found a way to lose. Even with Justin Fields’ perfect first half, where he completed a franchise-record 16 consecutive completions and looked like the confident quarterback we’ve been missing.
There was plenty to break down following Chicago’s brutal loss to Denver, where the coaches found a way to waste Fields’ career game in what should’ve been closer to a blowout win than the three-point loss. Our Bears Wire staff is sharing their thoughts following the Week 4 game.
The Bears’ Week 4 loss vs. Broncos
Alyssa Barbieri
The Bears continue to find new ways to lose in devastating fashion. The first three games never gave us any sort of hope they could pull out a win. But, in a twist of fate, Chicago played a strong three quarters — led by a near-perfect Justin Fields performance — against a bad Broncos defense. Victory was finally within reach.
But then the Bears blew a 21-point lead, Fields committed two costly turnovers (that weren’t actually his fault), the coaches stunk up the joint and Chicago lost their 14th consecutive game.
How did the Bears manage to top last week’s embarrassing blowout for the worst lost of this franchise-worst losing streak? How did Chicago manage to lose after Fields’ best game where he had a perfect first half, threw for career highs in passing yards (335) and passing touchdowns (4) and finally looked like his former self?
For the record, I agree with the decision to go for it on fourth-and-1 at the end of the game. I just disagree with the play call and taking the ball out of Fields’ hands. But this loss falls squarely on the coaching staff.
The good news, the Bears have a short week before facing the Commanders on Thursday Night Football. The bad news, the Bears have a short week before facing the Commanders on Thursday Night Football.
If Chicago loses their 15th straight game — and in embarrassing fashion — we might actually see some accountability from the organization in terms of a firing. There’s a 11-day window between games, and that would be the perfect time to make a move and make a statement to the players and fans that this won’t be tolerated. This is the worst it’s ever been, even with guys like Marc Trestman and Matt Nagy in the history books.
Brendan Sugrue
There is no rock bottom for the Chicago Bears. There is only an endless pit of despair with obstacles in the way to make you remember that you’re in a free fall with no hope of escaping. This team continues to find new and exciting ways to rip your heart out, and Sunday’s shocking loss to the Denver Broncos was certainly unique. We witnessed arguably the greatest half of football ever played by a Bears quarterback and a team comfortably up on their opponent by 21 points late in the third quarter, all undone in a matter of minutes. It’s a loss that rips your heart out, and yet you’re still kind of happy because at least there were some positive moments that you had not felt in almost a year. That’s what this team does to its fans.
It’s true that there were positives, though. Justin Fields was on fire for about 72% of the game, executing a solid game plan by offensive coordinator Luke Getsy. He quite literally could not be stopped. Fields had the best game of his career, going 28-of-35 for 335 yards, four touchdowns, one interception, and one lost fumble. His quarterback rating of 132.7 was the best by a Bears passer in nearly five years. And yet it was all for nothing because head coach Matt Eberflus was too conservative on defense and the players themselves couldn’t make a play when it mattered most.
The deciding moment, of course, was the failed fourth-down conversion, where the Bears ran the ball out of the shotgun while they were tied instead of taking the points with a field goal. The decision to go for the kill shot made perfect sense. The team was at home, their offense was cooking, and it sends a message that you’re not playing scared. But burning a timeout while trying to get the defense to jump and then still trotting the offense back on the field to call a shotgun run made little sense. The process was flawed, and the execution was flawed, no matter how you look at it.
It’s tough to be 0-4 and already know your season is over. It’s barely October, and this team is either playing for pride or for draft picks now. Eberflus has been a colossal failure as a coach and is knocking on the door of going 365 days without a victory. For the charter franchise of the NFL, that’s simply inexcusable. This loss is on him, and in my opinion, he has one last chance with a Thursday night game before changes start happening.
Ryan Fedrau
I think we’re at a point as fans where even disappointment, like Sunday’s loss to the Broncos, isn’t shocking or upsetting anymore. Fourteen straight losses for Chicago, a franchise record, was almost snapped, before Chicago went full Bears’ mode and blew a 21-point lead late in the second half. I mean, if this team can’t beat a Broncos team that gave up 70-points the week prior, who can they beat?
On the flip side, the offense looked good for three quarters. Finally, Justin Fields is being used properly, but he is mentally broken. I think it’s too late for this coaching staff to save this team. Ownership has to mark this down as a bad hire and clean house – hopefully firing general manager Ryan Poles while they’re at it.
